1. Technical Field
The present inventions relate to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly, relate to a multiple-part connector assembly which is assisted by the use of a locking or retainer clip.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical connectors are available in many different designs, to serve a broad base of requirements. A frequently used design includes a plug and receptacle, each of which includes a contact or terminal module, including a dielectric housing in which contacts or terminals are secured; and a shell member surrounding the housing for physical protection and also for shielding and grounding purposes. Conventional methods for securing the plug and receptacle shells to each other include the use of adhesive materials, locking rings, or other retention hardware.
Examples of electrical connectors which are useful in the applications for which the present connector is useful are described below, to provide a background for the present improved connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,394 to James Cooper, issued Nov. 23, 1976, discloses a connector half having substantially parallel transverse walls joined by perpendicular sides to provide a substantially rectangular cross-section to receive at least one flat connector wafer inserted therein in a forward axial direction. A transverse rib is formed on an upper face of a wafer facing an inner face of a connector transverse wall. A spring clip cantilevered on the inner face of the connector half is provided. When the wafer is inserted into the connector half, the rib acts as a cam against the spring clip, forcing the spring clip up. The spring clip returns to abut the rear of the rib as the wafer is pushed into position, to retain the wafer in the connector half. A tool is provided for camming the spring clip to allow removal of the wafer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,490 to Robert Hawkings, issued Oct. 28, 1986, describes a guidance and retention device for terminated connector wafers having a housing and at least one pair of opposed wafer retention members, said members releasably secured to opposed walls of the housing to provide the guidance and retention of rectangular-shaped connector wafers there between. The wafer retention members are described as being easily relocated to allow for reorganization of connector wafers and of a wiring array. In particular, these retention members comprise one member releasably connected to a first opposed wall and the other member releasably connected to a second opposed wall, each member having a plurality of guidance portions and retention portions which guide conductor wafers which are inserted in a stacked relationship within the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,130 to Thomas DiClemente, issued Aug. 16, 1988, discloses an electrical connector having a retaining member which has a transverse section seated in an aperture in the connector housing. The forward end of the retaining member is folded back on itself and fits into an opening in the connector housing. A pair of retaining legs extend outwardly from the transverse section to engage an inside surface of the connector housing; these retaining legs work in cooperation with the folded member to hold the retaining member in position within the connector housing. In addition, a second pair of retaining legs extend inwardly into the connector housing passageway to retain the terminal housing in position within the connector housing. The metal shell (connector housing) which surrounds the terminal housing is of a single piece construction, and is used in combination with retaining members are formed from a metal as well, and are described as being stamped and formed from a material having desirable spring characteristics, such as, for example, stainless steel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,388 to David Gutter, issued May 22, 1990 discloses a single piece protective shell of an electrical connector which includes clip members affixed to the inside of the protective shell, with spring arms of the clips extending forwardly and inwardly to latch behind transverse ribs along the outwardly facing surfaces of the terminal modules inserted into the shell. Each clip includes a pair of outwardly directed tabs along lateral edges of the body section, and the tabs are inserted outwardly through associated longitudinal slits in the shell wall and then bent over along the outward surface of the shell, preferably into grooves to be flush with the outward shell surface. A pair of such clips along the upper inside surface and along the lower inside surface cooperate to retain a pair of terminal modules inserted into the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,854 to Bassler et al., issued Jun. 30, 1992 describes an electrical connector assembly which includes a shield and frame member wherein at least a portion thereof is conductive. A plurality of modular sub-assemblies is mounted in the assembly. A latch mechanism is provided for removably securing each modular sub-assembly to the shield and frame member. The latch mechanism includes a tab which extends from the shield and frame member, wherein the tab has a groove which fits over a projection on the modular sub-assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,411 to Pastal et al., issued Sep. 8, 1992, describes a dielectric insert of an electrical connector retained within a metal shell by a plurality of latching ledges formed integrally with the insert member. The ledges are spaced about the periphery of the outer surface of the insert member, and during insertion into the shell member, these ledges are engaged with corresponding stop surfaces defined along inside surfaces of the metal shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,631 to Dutton, et al., issued Nov. 12, 2002 describes a connector assembly where the outer shell is comprised of two half shells which are open during attachment of a contact module retaining device to each of the half shells. The two half shells are joined to form a connector housing after attachment of the module retaining device. The preferred module retaining device is a clip which is attached so that the main body of the clip is in contact with an interior surface of the half shell. The clip is precisely aligned within the half shell using snap fit contacts which hold the clip in position until the half shells are joined, after which the clips may be held in position by contact with the interior surface of the half shell alone.
Many of the electrical connectors described above find use in airline and in lifeline telephony applications, and particularly for signal transmission applications. Due to the criticality of reliable performance, the connectors must meet stringent requirements, which may include a locking mechanism for vibration resistance per military standard MIL-STD-1344, which requires that there be no damage or electrical discontinuity after vibration testing. Further, any locking mechanism must provide a means of securing the module that should not interfere with insertion of the plug into the receptacle, particularly where the receptacle is mounted to a printed circuit board and where the angle of the connector exposes the securing means to the exterior environment in a manner which may cause the securing means to fail, and should provide for a careful alignment of the modules within the shell. This latter feature ensures proper electrical engagement within the connector.
Not only must the connector meet the technical requirements specified above, but as always, the cost of manufacturing the connector is an important consideration.